Not until she’s melted the butter, lightly salted the popcorn, and divided it into bowls do I speak again.
“I was thinking, the front lawn looks a little dull. What if we were to spruce things up a little bit?”
Meghan narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the side, examining me like I’m opposing counsel or something.
“You’re trying to win that neighborhood competition, aren’t you?”
“What competition?” Shanice asks, placing the bowl of popcorn gently onto the pillow she’s laid over Randy’s lap.
He greedily scoops a handful and does his best to stuff the entire thing into his mouth.
I laugh at the scene as Shanice reminds him that he’s going to choke if he eats like that.
“You haven’t heard?” Meghan asks while picking Charlotte up out of the playpen. “Every year this neighborhood has a holiday decorating competition. They do the judging on Christmas night when there’s a big neighborhood outing.”
Shanice’s eyes go wide. “That sounds like fun.”
“You would want to participate?” I ask, shocked.
“Of course. Why not?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t know if you were ready to be around people just yet.”
For the past week—aside from the day we went out to get decorations and runs to the grocery store—Shanice hasn’t strayed too far from the house. She hasn’t talked to anyone except for Meghan and me, to my knowledge.
She makes a sad smile down at Randy before looking back at me. “I’m not sure that I am, to be honest, but I want the kids to have the Christmas they deserve.
“Even if it’s not the one they expected.”
It breaks my heart the way she says this, as if she’s the reason her children’s Christmas will look differently this year.
“Baby, you do understand that none of this is your fault, right?” I ask, coming to sit beside her.
“I know.” She quickly nods. “But I don’t want to make this about me and my disaster of a life. How about after we finishHome Alone 2,we do the decorations you just mentioned? I think it’ll be fun.”
“And Mom will have a chance at beating her man in this year’s competition,” Meghan adds, raising her eyebrows up and down.
Shanice gasps.
“Sis, you’ve met him, right? I was kind of messed up when we first met and Mom’s been keeping him away from me all week. What’s he like?” Shanice asks her sister in a conspiratorial tone.
“Well, he’s obviously the reason she’s in such a good mood today. I think he?—”
“I’m taking my grandbaby away from you two.” I pull Charlotte out of Meghan’s arms. “She does not need to hear your gossip. We’re going to watch Ms. Rachel on the computer in my office.”
“Fine, run away while I tell my sister all about the sexy rancher who broke down your door to save you and then made you fall in love with him.”
“Meghan!” I whisper yell, but she ignores me, laughing.
Shanice is the one who looks over at me. “Love? Is it true, Mom?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, I’m in love with him.”
Meghan is the one to jump up, so suddenly that she spills some of Randy’s popcorn.
“Sorry, buddy.” She kisses the top of his head before running over to me and squeezing me in a hug. “I knew it!”
“Didn’t I tell you he was going to be the one?” she asks Shanice, surprising me.
